Stains on Pool Steps

by Amy
(Westminster, MD)

I have an above ground pool with polymer Royal Entrance pool steps. The steps have started developing brown stains on them - mostly on the sides. I've tried brushing them and scrubbing them with a Duramitt but they will not come off. Any suggestions on how to remove these stains?

Can I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean brown stains off of above ground pool steps while they are in the pool? Will it affect the pool water?

Hi Amy. If you were to remove the steps from the pool you could use just about anything on them. Inside the pool you do, of course, need to be a little more careful.

You might try rubbing a chlorine tablet over the area and then scrubbing with a rag. Or possibly dousing a rag with liquid chlorine and scrubbing. Use rubber gloves of course, but the chlorine would not hurt the pool water. There are also certain tile scrubbers sold at pool stores that might work.

Steps In Above Ground Pool When Winterizing

I have wedding cake type steps in my above ground pool. They are quite large and I was wondering if I can leave them in for the winter without causing damage to the pool?

I will still put a cover on with clips and use the right chemicals. I just don't know about leaving the steps in.

PLEASE help me out.

Thank you for your time. I can be emailed at phil at lighthouseapartment.com

Hi Phil. I would leave the steps in. Removing and reinstalling wedding cake steps could easily damage the liner; it is not worth the risk. There is nothing wrong with leaving them in for the winter.

The only thing would be working around the hand rail. If that poses a real problem it might be best to take them out, very carefully.

You are right to use the pool cover and be sure and not let the water sit in your skimmer over the winter. Freezing water in a skimmer can cause some pretty serious pool damage. You either need to lower the water below the skimmer or get a skimmer guard. The skimmer guard is preferable, but either way works.

Comments for

Steps In Above Ground Pool When Winterizing

I came across this during a search for info on pros/cons to keeping wedding cake steps in above ground pool during the winter months.

We have a 24' AG pool with the wedding cake steps. Every year we have faithfully removed them and stored on the deck during the winter months. As we have aged and this year due to a leg injury (hubby broke his leg), we were not able to pull the stairs. We winterized everything else and luckily our pool cover fit over the entire pool and the steps with handrail attached. There was a small gap along a small section where the steps abutted up against the top rail along the deck. Once the cover was secured I placed a heavy duty tarp over the top of the steps allowing tarp to drape and secured it at the base along the rim. We have a gate to prevent our dogs from accidentally falling/jumping in and it adds additional support to keep tarp secured so no debris get into the pool.

We do get extended cold spells but we have never had the pool to freeze solid during the winter months. It gets full brunt of the morning and afternoon sun which probably helps. The steps sit on top of a pool pad for added protection to the pool liner. There is quite a bit of controversy on this subject but I would agree from personal experience there is a greater risk of damaging the liner by removing and reinstalling those wedding cake stairs.

Pool Steps Tore Liner

by Ed Silva
(Seaville NJ)

Can I get some advice please? I have an above ground pool and just put in a new liner. It installed great and when we installed our walk in steps (Royal) after a day of use a large round indentation and a tear in the middle appeared.

I was able to use an underwater patch and it stopped.

My questions are:

1. How can I get rid of the indentation or just leave it? It is about 9" round and 2" deep.

2. Can these stairs be used? I followed the liner install exactly with a nice 6" cove all the way around.

3. Do you recommend just getting a good deck mounted above ground pool ladder?

4. Do you feel the underwater patch is sufficient? It took well and stopped the leak right away.

I really appreciate your response.

Hi Ed. The only way to get rid of the indentation is to drain the pool. If you go this rout be sure to leave a little water in the pool bottom. This keeps the liner from shifting and shrinking. The liner can be pulled back and held while the repairs are made.

If the liner is not resting on the pool frame, like the bottom rails or footplates, it is probably OK to leave it as is. If you decide to leave it you could go over your existing patch with a larger one just for insurance purposes. The glue I like the best is boxer glue and I like using a piece of the actual vinyl cut in a round circle. When I cut the skimmer opening out of all the pools I install I give the vinyl to my customer telling them to use it should they ever need to patch their liner.

There is probably no reason at all the steps could not be used. They are used in above ground pools all the time. I would check very closely how the steps fit into the cove area and see if an adjustment needs to be made. There are also step pads that can be used under this type of step assemblies, this may be what you need. I would work with the pool steps a little more before giving up on them.

Handicap Accommodations

(Michigan)

I have searched many places and am unable to locate handicap accommodations for our pool. Our son is in a wheelchair and we have an above ground pool we would like to have him enjoy - problem being, both his legs are non-weight bearing.

He uses a slide board (a board that is apx 1' x 2' that he places underneath him on his wheelchair seat and then the other end is placed on the location he wants to get to and he slides across it). Any ideas of how to accommodate him in a pool and/or who sells pool accessories for this?

Hi. There are many versions of the pool lift available. I am not sure if they make a special one for above ground pools or not, but any of them could easily be adapted to a pool deck. Check with In The Swim or any local Above Ground Pool Store and see what they suggest. A deck with a ramp and a lift system would work or you could even sink your pool in the ground in order to use the lift.

Comments for

Handicap Accommodations

I should've clarified, in order for him to move, it needs to be a sturdy transfer (non moving object similar to his transferring from wheelchair to bed), and with no insurance coverage for higher end accommodations is next to impossible for us to purchase. Any ideas welcome!